Chapter 4

Freya trudged back to the Combs family like someone who'd lost everything, delivering my icy words to them word for word.

I could almost picture all hell breaking loose in their cramped little living room.

With their cards laid bare without warning, they totally lost their cool.

After two tense days of silence, they finally switched up their game. Gone were the threats. Now they were all about pleading and trying to win me over.

And naturally, it was Steven who took center stage for the performance.

That night, after a long day at the office, I came home to see a familiar figure huddled outside my apartment door. It was Steven.

He looked like a total mess, with greasy hair, scruffy stubble, and even his fancy coat was all crumpled. The wannabe executive act he used to put on was nowhere to be seen.

When Steven saw me, his eyes lit up, and he practically threw himself at my feet. "Jo, I'm sorry. I really messed up."

He clung to my leg, bawling his eyes out, tears streaming down his face. "I never should've hit you. I'm a monster, a piece of shit. Please, just give me one more chance, I'm begging you.

"It was all my mom and that bitch Freya. They kept getting in my head, saying you were too strong, that you looked down on me. I just lost my head for a second and did something stupid."

He was bawling and howling, slapping himself hard across the face again and again. Each hit rang out, sharp and forceful.

He actually thought this would soften my heart.

Too bad for him. I just watched his pathetic performance with cold indifference. The hidden camera in the hallway had already recorded every second of his disgrace.

That was one hell of a performance. If this had happened a week ago, maybe I would've actually been moved. But now, all I felt was just disgust.

"Jo, we're husband and wife. We've been together for three years. Have you really forgotten all of that? Please, just give me one more chance. I swear, I'll treat you right from now on.

"Whatever you say goes," Steven sobbed, snot and tears smeared all over his face as he looked up at me, his eyes shining with desperate "sincerity."

I stared down at him from above, cold and unmoved, letting the silence drag on until the slap marks on his face turned bright red. Only then did I finally speak.

My voice was icy, completely devoid of emotion. "Want me to trust you?"

Steven clung to my words like they were his last hope, nodding so hard that it looked desperate. "Yes, I do. Jo, just say the word, and I'll do anything you want."

I curled my lips into a mocking smile. "Alright then. Show some real sincerity."

I threw out an ultimatum he couldn't refuse, and there was no way he could make it happen overnight.

"If you're truly sorry, then transfer the ownership of our home solely to me. If you do that, I'll believe you, and I'll go home with you," I said.

That house was bought by both our parents when we got married. My family covered most of the down payment, but the deed had both our names on it. That was always Linda's leverage, her way of keeping me in check.

Steven's expression stiffened for a split second.

I caught a flicker of scheming and resentment in his eyes. But right now, he was out of options.

"Okay. I agree. Jo, as long as you forgive me, you can have anything, even my life," he promised eagerly, as if the house was his personal property to hand over.

I knew he was just buying time. "Meet me at the County Recorder's Office at ten tomorrow morning. Bring all the documents," I said coldly, then opened the door and shut it in his face without a second glance, leaving him standing there in shock.

The next day, I showed up at the County Recorder's Office right on time, just like I said I would.

Steven was already there, dressed in clean clothes and freshly shaved, trying to put on his usual gentlemanly act for me. "Jo, it's good to see you," he said, flashing me a fawning smile.

I just nodded, not saying a word.

Just as we were about to head inside, the drama I'd been expecting kicked off right on cue.

"You shameless bitch. How dare you try to steal my son's house?" The shrill scream cut through the air like a thunderclap.

Linda burst out from the bushes with her gang of rowdy relatives, charging at me like a pack of rabid wolves.

Linda was front and center, her face twisted with raw malice and hatred. She jabbed her finger right in my face, hurling insults at me, "I knew you were trouble from the start.

"Ever since you married Steven, you've been plotting to steal our money. And now you want the house all to yourself? I'll kill you, shameless bitch."

She kept shrieking as she charged at me like a madwoman, her hand raised, ready to claw at my face.

People nearby shot us dirty looks, gossiping and pointing as the whole scene unfolded.

Steven just stood off to the side, acting all helpless, like he was saying, "See? It's not that I don't want to give you the house. It's just my mom won't allow it."

What a classic mother-son tag-team drama. Too bad, I wasn't just some pushover in their little drama.

Right as Linda's claws were about to swipe my face, I simply stepped aside.

She lunged and missed, tripped over her own feet, and with a loud smack, went face-first into the pavement, eating dirt in the most embarrassing way possible.

There was a wave of barely contained laughter from the crowd.

Linda's face turned red with rage as she scrambled up from the ground, shrieking even louder, "You dare dodge me? All of you, grab her. I'm ripping her face to shreds today."

The other middle-aged women began to swarm around me.

I didn't panic. Instead, I quickly stepped back, pulled out my phone, and dialed 911. "Hello, 911? I need help. There are people causing trouble, ganging up on me outside the County Recorder's Office, and they're trying to hurt me."

My voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to make them all stop dead in their tracks.

Linda was stunned. She never expected me to actually call the police.

To her, this was just some family drama, and I was supposed to swallow it in silence, too ashamed or scared to fight back.